One Final Choice My Writing for MADDYTHELEMON'S Warriors Challenge
by shadowswaiting
Summary: This is a story of love between a mentor and an apprentice, even though the apprentice may not realize it at first. I really such at making a summary without giving away the ending, so please read. This is a challenge from MADDYTHELEMON, and I did not think of the idea on my own. *WARNING, THIS CONTAINS A KIT BIRTH, SO IF YOU DON'T LIKE THAT, DON'T READ*


**This is my writing for MADDYTHELEMON'S Warriors challenge, and my first FanFic, so please go easy on me! I hope you enjoy.** **Also, I don't own the Warriors, and I also am just doing a challenge and can't take credit for the story's idea.**

Part One:

The dim light of sunrise seeped through the walls of the apprentice's den. Echopaw, an apprentice, slowly blinked open her eyes.

"Echopaw!" a sharp voice was calling. "Echopaw! Are you going to sleep like a badger all day! We have a dawn patrol to do."

Echopaw jerked awake at once, realizing that the voice belonged to her mentor, Emberlight. The golden brown tom had been unusually impatient with her lately, even though she had been trying her best to behave like an apprentice, not a kit.

She sighed. Just a moon ago, when Echopaw had come back with no more than a small pigeon to add to ThunderClan's fresh kill, Emberlight had punished her by confining her to camp for a quarter moon. She had to clear the elders' den every day and make sure their needs were met. The smell of mouse bile would never be out of her fur.

"Echopaw!" Emberlight yowled again, louder.

"Alright! Alright! I'm coming!" She replied, trying to stay quiet so the rest of her denmates could sleep. No such luck.

"What's go on?" Sweetpaw, a tortoiseshell she cat, inquired, raising her head.

"Dawn patrol", Echopaw replied curtly before slipping out of the den. The crisp air of leaf-fall chilled her nose as Echopaw padded towards Emberlight. When she was within earshot, she overheard Emberlight talking to the deputy, Silverberry.

"You say you smelled a strange scent near the Twoleg Place?" Silverberry inquired. "Are you sure it wasn't a new kittypet?"

"Well, yes, I think it was a new kittypet, but it seemed as if it was something more. I just have a bad feeling about it all", Emberlight meowed back. Echopaw took a deep breath and stepped closer.

"Oh, hello Echopaw. We aren't going to be on the dawn patrol today. Too many cats. I want you to bring back as much fresh kill as you can. Be back before sun high", Emberlight called over his shoulder before padding off.

"And a good morning to you, too," Echopaw muttered. She stalked out the thorn tunnel before halting.

"Wait a second. If I can go to the Twoleg Place to find this mystery scent, maybe then I can impress Emberlight, and he would treat me kinder," Echopaw thought. She raced along the trail to the Twoleg Place.

A voice called to her as soon as she arrived at one of the fences surrounding a Twoleg Den.

"Hey, you! What are you doing here?" it said. A white tom cat popped out from behind a Twoleg fence. "Are you one of those wild cats living in the forest?"

"Yes, I am," Echopaw replied, curtly. "My name is Echopaw, what's yours?"

"I'm Ivy," the tom said. "Nice to meet you. What is it like living in the forest?"

"It's interesting," Echopaw stated. "And it suits me well." She and Ivy talked more, gossiping about their lives, until Echopaw scented a familiar smell.

"What do you think you are doing here?" Emberlight asked, appearing out from a bush. "You were supposed to be hunting! And what is that smell? Kittypet?! And you ate his food? Do you have no honor?"

"Well, I just got hungry," Echopaw muttered, sheepishly. After such an easy meal, she started to wonder if she should stay with the Twoleg's. Ivy seemed to like her, and she caught him staring at her constantly. He had even invited her to live with him in his den. She declined, saying she would think about it.

"Well?" Emberlight demanded. "Are you coming back to camp or not?"

"Yes, I'm coming", Echopaw mumbled. She trudged back to camp after Emberlight.

The two arrived at the ThunderClan camp just before moonhigh, and Echopaw stomped off to her den, pausing only to listen to Emberlight's order.

"Now, listen closely. I won't tell Fawnstar that you were at the Twoleg place, unless you keep going there. Tomorrow, you have to catch at least 5 mice, otherwise you will be confined to the camp for a quarter moon. I will be watching you." With that, Emberlight stalked off to the warriors den.

"Stuck up furball", Echopaw muttered before tumbling into the apprentice's den.

That night, Echopaw dreamed of her mother, Aspensplash. She had died when Echopaw was only two moons old.

 _Just one choice_

 _Makes a difference,_

 _J_ _ust one choice_

 _Can change anything,_

 _Just one choice_

 _Can determine your fate;_

 _Mark my words, Little One_

 _Before the Echoes can be heard_

 _Ivy must climb her heart_

 _And a Light must shine within_

An eerie voice was coming from Aspensplash, warning Echopaw. She woke with a start. While the words of the prophecy still echoed through her head, Echopaw decided that she must stay away from Ivy. Even though her head ached at the thought of declining Ivy's offer to live with him. She sighed, wondering how she could stay here in the forest.

 _Two Moons Later..._

"Echomist? Do you want to go hunting?" Emberlight, her former mentor asked. She had received her warrior name three days earlier, and was excited for all of her new responsibilities.

"Sure, Emberlight. Where are we headed?"

"I thought we would try the woods near the twoleg place", came the reply.

"Okay, let's go". The two headed off, and before long, Echomist caught the scent of a mouse.

She dropped into the hunters crouch, but was interrupted by a loud yowl nearby.

"Stay away from her! She's mine!" Emberlight was growling to Ivy, who stood cowering in the trees. "She is all I've ever wanted, and I don't want you taking her away from me!" His voice cracked with sorrow. "You don't know how hard it was to hide my feelings from her. If she knew, she would have gone away with you for sure."

"So?" Ivy spat. "What are you going to do, kill me?"

"Precisely!" Emberlight said with an evil grin. Before Ivy could protest, Emberlight leaned over and dealt the killing blow.

Echomist was shaking from her black eartips to her black tail tip. Until now, she hadn't noticed the way she felt about Emberlight. Could it be true? Did she love him. She emerged from the bushes, pretending to be shocked at Ivy's body.

"Fox got him", Emberlight said with a grunt.

"Oh, that's too bad. Not to big of a deal, though," Echomist said with a shrug. Emberlight's jaw dropped open, and she continued. "So, I have been wondering for a while, but do you like me?"

"Yes," Emberlight admitted.

"Okay, so does this mean you would accept me as your mate?" Echomist asked him, purring.

"You really mean it?" Emberlight gasped. Echomist nodded. "Yes, I do want to be your mate. More than anything."

The two twined tails, purring, and headed off to camp.

 _Moons Later..._

Several moons had passed since Emberlight and Echomist had agreed to be mates, and the two of them were enjoying a hunt when Echomist suddenly announced that she had a secret to share with Emberlight.

"Emberlight, I think that there is something you need to know. You are a great cat and all, but I think I am falling for another", Echomist said with a sheepish look.

"What?" Emberlight stammered. "I thought I was your true love!"

"You are, but my heart has to expand. I have to give our kits equal love, too" Echomist murmured, lovingly.

"What? You mean, you mean... " Emberlight trailed off as the realization sunk in. Echomist nodded.

"I'm expecting kits".

 _Later..._

"How much longer is this going to take?" Echomist groaned. Everything hurt from her claws to her ear tips. She had begun kitting at dawn, and was getting annoyed by the wait.

"Not much longer", Dovesong, the medicine cat encouraged.

Trough the red haze, Echomist could feel Dovesong's paw on her stomach, maneuvering her kits. With a shriek, the first kit was born.

"A she cat" Dovesong announced. The beautiful kit was grey, like Echomist, but her tail and ear tips were white instead of black.

"The next one is coming" Dovesong warned. With one last grunt, a tom was born, with identical fur to Emberlight. Echomist breathed a sigh of both relief and exhaustion.

"How is she?" Emberlight asked, nervously poking his head into the nursery. He spotted the kits immediately. "They're perfect" he breathed.

"What should we name them?" Echomist inquired, softly. "Maybe Willowkit for the she cat?"

Emberlight nodded. "And Ferretkit for the tom?" he suggested.

"Perfect. Welcome to ThunderClan, my precious kits", Echomist murmured before drifting off into a deep sleep.

 **Okay, so sorry if that was too long, too sappy, or too weird for you, but I hope at least someone likes it.** **Please review to tell me my mistakes and to suggest anything to me. Bye!**


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